Come May and we will witness Nvidia’s first foray into the TV console gaming market. The graphics giant, more known for its cutting edge GPUs, has been for the last couple of years trying to branch into a market dominated by the other three big players: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

The console which Nvidia calls the “Android TV console” is to come with a very powerful Tegra K1 processor, a Maxwell-generation GPU and 3 gigs of ram, running a version of Android.

The Shield’s hardware specs are weaker than both the PlayStation 4 and the XBox One, with Nvidia claiming performance figures to be twice that of the previous generation PS3 and the Xbox 360. However, what sets the Shield apart from its competitors is its advertised ability to stream 1080p resolution 60 fps gaming into your TV (where all the computing is done by Nvidia’s server farms via Nvidia’s grid service).

Needless to say, stable, high-speed internet connectivity is a must-have for this feature, with Nvidia recommending 15 Mbps.

Not only that, some of the year’s most anticipated games which include the latest iterations of the Witcher and Metal Gear Solid saga, will be available on launch for the Shield. Although the initial library will be small, this will likely be expanded rapidly in the future and with both AAA and Android games made available. So, if there’s one thing that you can be certain of about the forthcoming Shield console, it’s the obvious fact that running out of good games is unlikely to be an issue – ever!

Nvidia’s approach certainly throws a new insight into the gaming industry. As today’s state-of-the-art hardware becomes average and then obsolete within a span of not more than 2-3 years, Nvidia’s champion with its cloud computing prowess could save a lot in expensive and regular hardware updates. Also, with its versatility and ability to stream 4k video output, Shield definitely has the potential to entice a lot of PC gamers who are looking to play their games on bigger screens and also want the accessibility of a console.

However, while the Tegra K1 processor is very capable, it will no doubt be surpassed by something more powerful sooner rather than later – especially if we choose to take the pace set in the Smartphone market as an indicator. This implies that Nvidia may be banking more on a strategy of much faster console upgrades, compared to current industry practice of following usually ten year cycles.

Even with its purported versatility, Nvidia’s offering may not get enough time to build its fan base before being eclipsed by the next upgraded model. Consumers may also shy away from the fact that while they will have upgrade their more traditional consoles once every ten years, going with the Shield might entail a more frequent and hence expensive upgrade cycle.

However, with the Shield being priced at $ 199 in the US, it is also cheaper than its competitors. This might assuage some of the upgrade fears. If the Shield can achieve its potential, very soon we might have a device that is not only capable of streaming 4k resolution output; but is also a dedicated gaming console to boot.

So, do you think Nvidia’s Shield has the potential to make it big in the worldwide gaming console market? Feel free to share your thoughts using the comment box below.

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Consider this: The video gaming industry is now bigger than Hollywood. And with new games being released every other day, it is indeed the rare gem that comes along with compelling characters and a convincing plot, and manages to stay with us long after we have beat the game itself. Everybody has their own favourites, but these are a few which came out in the last couple of years that we feel you must try out. With all the hallmarks that make a great game, in no particular order:

With so much speculation, many delays and rumoured cancellation of the project, Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed is finally making its way to the big screen, but not until 21 December 2016. Even though the release is still some time away, there are some details which have emerged. Its been announced that Michael Fassbender, star of Inglourious Basterds, Prometheus and 12 Years a Slave, has been bought on board to play two roles.

Who they are though, is still a mystery, as the story is very much under wraps. An educated guess would be a present day role, and an historical figure, much how the game series has its two protagonists.

The new Sony Morpheus Virtual Reality headset is scheduled to officially launch sometime next year, though no specific launch date has been set as of yet. In hands-on demos of the device, Sony’s VR headset is proving to be a more stylish and comfortable option when compared to the headsets of its big-named competitors.

Shu Yoshida, the president of Sony Worldwide Studios unveiled the 2nd version of the Morpheus headset this past Tuesday. This is the device’s first main update since the tech industry giant initially announced it at GDC 2014 (Game Developers Conference).

The new update gave the Sony Morpheus VR device a 5.7-inch screen that features a 1920 x 1080p RGB OLED display and latency that “clocks in” at fewer than 18 milliseconds. It has a refresh rate of 120 frames per second and a 100-degree field of view.

During the demo, the 100-degree view meant there was still black at the edges of the user’s vision, but there is no noticeable latency whatsoever. Everything had a smooth and responsive feel to it. The “screen door effect” is minimal and barely noticeable at all unless you’re specifically looking for it.

The goggles of the Sony Project Morpheus VR headset are not distracting; the headset itself could easily be the most comfortable one out there thus far. The adjustable strap helps to keep the device’s weight on your head and not on your nose. It gives a sensation that the headset is “floating in front of your face.” It is very easy to focus on being in the virtual reality environment.

The PS Move controllers are held in the user’s hands. They are joysticks with bulbs at the top, and they track the user’s hands, but not their fingers, and they feature triggers for gun-shooting and other actions.

Richard Marks, the Sony R&D lead says the company plans to make small changes to Morpheus before its official release next year, but the most important goal is to focus on awareness.

At the GDC in San Francisco, CA, Nvidia revealed its new Android TV console. The company already has the Shield handheld console and a Shield tablet device, and now this Android TV set-top box will be the third and newest addition to the Nvidia Shield family of devices.

The set-top box has a retail selling price of $199.00, and it comes with its own controller. It runs the recently-launched Google Android TV platform. It’s powered by Nvidia’s own processor, the Tegra X1, which features a 256-core Maxwell architecture GPU and a 64-bit CPU.

The company says there are more than 50 Android titles that will be optimized for its new Shield device, and that some of the top game publishers and developers in the world have embraced Shield and the GRID service. Nvidia also revealed a 1080p game-streaming service, a service that is enabled by the Grid server GPU platform.

The price of the new Nvidia Shield set-top box is more expensive than the Amazon Fire TV at $99, the Roku devices at $50-$100, and the Apple TV at $99. However, the gaming capabilities of the Shield device are significantly superior.

Nvidia’s initially launched Shield back in July of 2013 and last quarter, Shield was one of the first devices to receive the Google Android 5.0 Lollipop OS upgrade.

The company’s goal is to focus on continued development of the Android gaming market. Currently, the Android OS platform is the largest in the world and Nvidia believes it will eventually become one of the biggest gaming platforms in the world as well. The company plans on leveraging the 15 to 20 years of expertise and capability it has developed in the PC industry for the Android gaming market.

Retailers are currently giving away a free PlayStation TV with every purchase of a new Sony PlayStation 4 video game console.

To add the fine print into the deal, the actual offer states that you have to purchase a PlayStation 4 video gaming console and a 1-year subscription to PlayStation Plus in order to qualify for the free PlayStation TV micro-console.

The actual retail price of the PlayStation TV device is $80 alone; therefore, getting it for free with the PS4 and PS Plus subscription is actually a pretty worthwhile deal. You can set up the PS4 console in one room and hook up your PS TV mini-console in another room. You can stream PS 4 content as well as play old school games on the PS TV device.

The PSTV device is a palm-sized mini-console that you can use to play games that have been purchased on PSN (Playstation Network) and digital versions of PS Vita games as well. It also features a Vita card slot, just in case you want to use your hard drive space for PS One old school classics and/or downloadable games. You also have access to a variety of apps and services such as PS Now which lets you stream even more games from the PS 3 era. The PSTV can also stream content from your PS4 and access it from another room.

Note: You do have to use a PS 3 controller in order to use the PSTV device.

Overall, the deal is a pretty good one, however, it could be a telltale sign as to how well (or not so well) the PlayStation TV is doing in the U.S.